Volume 91 Number 6 November 2016 Georgia Botanical Society
IN THIS Big Dukes Pond WMA Field Trip ISSUE: Bot Soccers showed they were up for a real adventure in visiting this 1800-acre Carolina Bay, the day after Hurricane Hermine dumped 6 inches of rain in Jenkins County, GA, where it is located. A Carolina Bay is a depression wetland, Pilgrimage - usually fed only by rainwater. They have mystified people since aerial P3 photography revealed that there are thousands across the Coastal Plain, from Georgia to Delaware, and they all share the same elliptical egg-shape, oriented Field Trip on a northwest to southeast axis. Theories about their formation range from Reports P1 meteor collisions - a theory that has real support - to underwater fish spawning and P6 pools - this one is a little crazier. Generally it is accepted that Carolina Bays Upcoming began as regular depressions, no matter what the origination, and were Field Trips - excavated by prevailing winds across a sandy landscape. P11 A Carolina Bay is named for the evergreen “bay-leaf” vegetation within, not for the fact that it is a wetland. Truthfully, the plant communities of Carolina Bays are highly variable dependent on hydrology, depth, size, and fire ecology. A few contain open water lakes, some are impenetrable poccosins (shrubby wetlands), some have cypress-gum forest, while others have marshes or savanna. Big Dukes Pond has good examples of pond cypress swamp, pond cypress savanna, slash pine-mixed hardwoods, and bay swamp. The margin of the wetland is a high sand rim, with xeric longleaf pine-oak scrub sandhills vegetation.
Fruits of snowbell (Styrax grandifolius); photo by Debo Boddiford Continued on page 4
2 BotSoc News, November 2016 President’s Perspective
I don’t know about you, but the high temperatures of summer have lasted way too long. I had a busy September with several field trips. Much as I enjoyed each one of the trips, I would have appreciated cooler temperatures for all of them. One of my non-BotSoc trips was to the Atlanta Botanical Garden featuring 20 works of art using blown glass by Dale Chihuly beautifully situated throughout the garden. If you have not already seen this, I highly recommend it. The cypress trees in the center of Big Dukes Pond near the wood stork rookery seemed enormous and may be the biggest I’ve ever seen. Lisa Kruse also showed us one of the sites she is monitoring for the state-listed Oxypolis canbyi (Canby’s dropwort). It is good to see the many ways BotSoc members apply BotSoc News is published seven times a year their knowledge and interest in plants to conservation and community-based (Jan, March, May, July, projects. It is also good to see people outside of BotSoc expressing an interest September, Nov and for the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage). in native plants and natural habitats. The City Manager for Dublin has asked for advice on how to promote a wildflower meadow in an old African-American Submission deadline Is December 1 for the January cemetery instead of regular mowing. If you are willing and able to help or issue. provide advice for him, please contact me.
Subscriptions For years, I have avoided tackling grasses, sedges and rushes as being too Are included with membership. hard, but I decided it is time I stopped being such a coward. Richard Carter’s Website: sedge workshop weekend was extremely helpful, providing a combination of www.gabotsoc.org field and lab identification. This was the first time I had done very much with a Editorial Office dissecting microscope, and I was truly awed by just how beautiful the tiny Ellen Honeycutt [email protected] structures were and surprised that their microscopic distinctive shapes made it just as easy to identify using a taxonomic key as identifying other plants using © 2016 Georgia Botanical macroscopic characteristics. I can now confidently encourage others to learn Society is a private nonprofit organization under IRS 501 (c)3. the grasses. Founded in 1926. One of my next challenges as a forest steward is to start some understory restoration projects, and Walter Bland’s workshop on creating meadows was a great way to start. Two tips were especially useful: finding a relatively undisturbed local site to help decide what species to plant and assessing the site by comparing the ration of desirable to undesirable species in order to decide what actions to take. Many of us are involved in projects that involve protecting, improving, or creating habitats using native plants in lots of situations from small urban plots to expanses of relatively natural communities, from local cemeteries or nature centers to the Appalachian Trail. I find it empowering to go to workshops that help me learn how to use the knowledge I have about plants and plant communities in caring for the environment.
Heather Brasell
BotSoc News, November 2016 3
Georgia Botanical Society’s 2017 Pilgrimage
Make your plans now to join us in Chattanooga, TN for the 2017 Spring Pilgrimage scheduled for Friday, April 7 through Sunday, April 9, 2017! Field trips are being planned that focus on regional and local natural sites within various mountain and plateau environments in northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee. The field trip planning team is hard at work defining a robust schedule of over 25 field trips to sites in the local area or within a reasonable drive time from the city. Some sites may be familiar to you and others may be new. Field trips will be led by BotSoc members as well as native plant specialists from Tennessee. In addition, venues have been obtained for a Friday night social and a Saturday banquet in south Chattanooga. The banquet will be held in the Roosevelt Ballroom of the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. There is much more information to come with details of the plans that are being finalized and pilgrimage registration procedures that are being developed.
We are pleased to inform you that we have secured blocks of rooms at three hotels in Lookout Valley west of the city just off I-24 at exit 174 with a total of 85 rooms that are available at discounted group rates. The hotels are ready to process reservations now. Following is a list of the hotels and some details for registration purposes.
Clarion Inn Lookout Mountain - 50 rooms @ $89.99 per night + tax Address: 3641 Cummings Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Reservations phone number : 423-821-5500 Rooms are double occupancy with either one king or two queen sized beds Mention group name “Georgia Botanical Society” to get the BotSoc rate Reservations must made before February 6, 2017 to receive the BotSoc rate
Country Inn and Suites Lookout Mountain – 25 rooms @ $89 per night + tax Address: 3725 Modern Industries Parkway , Chattanooga, TN 37419 Reservations Phone Number: 423-825-6100 Rooms are double occupancy with two queen beds Mention “Georgia Botanical Society” to get the BotSoc group rate Reservations must made before March 4, 2017 to receive the BotSoc rate
Fairfield Inn and Suites Lookout Mountain – 10 rooms @ $119 per night + tax Address: 40 Starview Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37419 Online booking for BotSoc members is available via this link Reservations Phone Number: 423-664-4222 Mention group code “GBS” to get the BotSoc rate Reservations must made before March 17, 2017 to receive the BotSoc rate
All three hotels offer free parking, WI/FI and breakfast. Reservations may be scheduled for dates up to 3 days before and/or 3 days after the 2017 Pilgrimage at the above rates, subject to availability. This is to allow for early arrivals and some extra time for BotSoc members who wish to explore the Chattanooga area.
We suggest that you book your hotel reservations early to insure that you obtain your preferred hotel and to avoid the expiration dates for booking at the group rates after the first of the year. There is no risk to do so. You will be asked for credit card information to hold the booking; however, you will not be charged until you check out. Cancellations will be honored for changes in plans, with sufficient notice. Book now with the pilgrimage hotels to take advantage of substantial savings. If you experience any issues with your booking, please contact Mitchell Kent via email ([email protected]) or phone (423-580-8380). We look forward to seeing you there!
Photo is an aerial view of downtown Chattanooga from the North Shore area (Photo credit: Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau)
4 BotSoc News, November 2016
Big Duke Pond WMA Field Trip (cont’d)
Lisa Kruse led the hike and was questioning her sanity in bringing folks to a potentially flooded swamp but sharing this special wilderness was worth a little anxiety. The weather prior to the hurricane however was so dry that Big Dukes slurped the rain like a gift of milk to a starved kitten, leaving no standing water. We enjoyed a beautiful hike.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (GA DNR) is responsible for management of Big Dukes Pond Wildlife Management Area, which is about 1,692 acres and encompasses most of the Carolina bay. The start of the walk was through the shallower side of the bay to see old-growth cypress savanna. A true savanna is a grassland with scattered trees stuck in it. The savanna at Big Dukes is dominated by Walter’s sedge (Carex striata), with horned beak-sedge (Rhynchospora corniculata), blue sedge (Carex glauca), maidencane (Panicum hemitomon), and giant silver plume grass (Saccharum giganteum) also abundant. We saw several other cool grasses such as wrinkled joint-grass (Coleorachis rugosa), love grass (Eragrostis sp.) and witch grasses (Dichanthelium sp.). The trees are pond cypress (Taxodium distichum), swamp tupelo (Nyssa biflora), red maple (Acer rubrum), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and lots and lots of pine—too many. Big Dukes Pond has been impacted in the past by intensive timber management, ditching and draining of the bay, and fire suppression. These have contributed to unnaturally high levels of pine in the cypress savanna.
We visited a 10-acre, small- scale cypress-savanna restoration project funded by US Fish and Wildlife Service for GA DNR, and coordinated by Lisa. Lisa considers it a band-aid measure until true ecological restoration can be implemented, but removal of pine has opened up the canopy to recreate the savanna vegetation structure. This area is home to federally endangered Oxypolis canbyi (Canby’s dropwort), which we saw in fruit. Herbaceous species such as Canby’s dropwort depend on an open canopy to thrive in the Hypericum myrtifolium; photo by Debo Boddiford savanna. We also saw myrtle -leaf St. John’s-wort (Hypericum myrtifolium), rosy camphor-weed (Pluchea rosea), narrow-leaf swamp loosestrife (Ludwigia linearis), pale meadow-beauty (Rhexia mariana) and myrtle-leaf holly (Ilex myrtifolia), not herbaceous but beautiful with striking fruit, orange on its way to red later in the season.
Continued on next page
BotSoc News, November 2016 5
Big Duke Pond WMA Field Trip (cont’d)
For a drastic contrast with the savanna, we then trekked into a deep portion of the bay. In an un- fragmented landscape, deep areas would not burn as frequently as shallower areas, resulting in a forested wetland. The forest we visited was cypress-gum forest, and a few of the trees were ancient with gigantic knees and gaping buttresses. The forest is dark and mossy, and the spongy peat made walking cumbersome. In the deepest portion, even the cypress have a hard time taking root, and we entered into a magical opening surrounded by old cypress hung in carpets of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), with sunlight trickling onto the fuchsia, crepe-myrtle like flowers of swamp loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus), and catching flickering wings of copious butterflies. The spring-time water depth here lures alligators, which encourage nesting of the endangered wood stork. Alligators prey on egg-predators like raccoons, and wood-storks key into their presence to protect their young. This spot at Big Dukes is a stable wood-stork rookery, supporting around 100 nests every spring. Lucky for us water was only persistent in a few gator wallows, so we kept on the alert but enjoyed wandering the rookery and observing plants. Here we saw marsh St. John’s-wort (Hypericum walteri), shining fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), European heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum), button-bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) and false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). Lisa’s 6-year old son Steven caught a dwarf salamander (Eurycea quadradigitatta).
Cypress rookery; photo by Debo Boddiford We finished out the day with an exciting find on the sand rim of the bay: a fruiting bigleaf snowbell (Styrax grandifolius), fascinating for the range of habitats which it inhabits from mesic slope forest to the edge of the driest sandhill. All were satisfied and a little smug that we had braved the post- hurricane chaos to descend into the peaceful wilderness of Big Dukes Pond. Trip report by Lisa Kruse
6 Boc News, November 2016 Wyoming trip
The first week of July 2016, a group of 16 BotSoccers traveled to the Snowy Range in southcentral Wyoming to botanize in the Medicine Bow National Forest. Beginning with July 2, here is a brief account. Folks who came in early spent the early part of the day enjoying the bounty of flowers available along Highway 130, starting on the plains (about 7,400 feet elevation) and going up to the pass (a tad below 11,000 feet elevation). As roadside botanizing goes, this drive is as good as any (including the Smokies) and it did not disappoint – multiple species of paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia, C. angustifolia var. dubia, and C. sulphurea), numerous composites (multiple genera – trust me, quite a few), glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum), marsh marigold (Caltha leptosepala), globe flower (Trollius albiflorus), shooting star (Dodecatheon pulchellum), Colorado columbine (Aquilegia coerulea), and much more.
Left: Darkthroat shooting star, Dodecatheon pulchellum, in a fen beside the Snowy Range Scenic Highway Right: Alpine forget-me-not, Eritrichium nanum, Lakes Trail, Snowy Range
In the mid-afternoon, after most folks had arrived, we went up to the Libby Flats Overlook, where in addition to the spectacular cushion plants and other wildflowers – featuring alpine forget-me-not (Eritrichium nanum), moss campion (Silene acaule), and old man of the mountain (Hymenoxis grandiflora) - the folks who had not previously experienced Wyoming got a couple of lessons on elevation. 1) the weather quickly changed from warm and sunny to borderline cold and windy with rain and hail (only pea sized, but still stung) and 2) in the haste to dash back to the vehicles the lack of oxygen became Libby Flats. Medicine Bow National Forest very apparent. Neither injuries nor hypothermia resulted, so it just turned into a good story. Continued on next page
BotSoc News, November 2016 7
Wyoming (cont’d)
The area at Snowy Mountain Lodge cabins provided a nice display, including a flower at the edge of Libby Creek that we did not encounter anywhere else: monkeyflower (Mimulus tilingii). Mule deer were very common around the cabins, including a doe with a newborn fawn. Other wildlife we were treated to in the mountains included moose, yellow-bellied marmot, chipmunks, and many bird species. On the plains we added pronghorn and prairie dogs. Sunday we spent time on the Corner Mountain Trail and on the Laramie River Trail – a couple of lower elevation excursions to allow folks to adjust to the elevation, we were 0.5-mile above the highest elevation in Georgia at our
lowest out there. Floristic highlights included spotted coral root (Corallorhiza maculata), green-flowered wintergreen (Pyrola chlorantha), Wyoming paintbrush, monument plant (Frasera speciosa), little sunflowers (Helianthella quinquenervis and H. uniflora), bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), narrowleaf paintbrush, and Gunnison’s sego lily (Calochortus gunnisonii). While we were too late for the flowers, we did see leaves and fruits of eastern fairy slipper
(Calypso bulbosa var. americana). We also visited a large and quite nice fen with numerous shooting stars around its edge. Calochortus gunnisonii
The Snowy Range, reflected in a tarn along the Lakes Trail. Continued on next page
8 BotSoc News, November 2016
Wyoming (cont’d)
On July 4, we went “grasswhacking” on Libby Flats, beginning on an unpaved Forest Service road and moving to dispersed cross country wandering. We had a bevy of subalpine tundra plants similar to those occurring along the nature trail at the overlook, including moss campion, alpine forget-me-not, native clovers (Trifolium dasycarpum and T. parryi), old man of the mountain, and the ever lovely pygmy bitterroot (Lewisia pygmaea) – in its full range of colors from white to deep pink-purple. We crossed an incredible field of alpine fleabanes that was carpeted in flowers pretty much as far as we could see. We turned back at an area where there were curious mounds of loose aggregate deposited by glaciers. This walk got high marks from everyone. Tuesday was a light day of additional roadside botanizing – this time from the pass down the west side of the Snowies and out on the plains toward Saratoga. We kicked
off with rosy paintbrush (Castilleja rhexiifolia), which was spectacular. Farther down the mountain, elephant head (Pedicularis groenlandica), white bog orchid (Platanthera
dilatata), and western red paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) were in nice bloom. At the Forest Service visitor center, mule’s ear (Wyethia amplexicaulis) was very nice and a pavilion proved
an excellent spot for our picnic lunch. Out on the plains we found nice showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa), Palmer’s penstemon Castilleja rhexiifolia along the Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Penstemon palmeri), and Nuttall’s sego lily (Calochortus nuttallii). After ice cream in Saratoga, we returned.
Pedicularis groenlandica and Platanthera dilatata Bull moose Continued on next page
BotSoc News, November 2016 9
Wyoming (cont’d)
Wednesday we walked the Glacier Lakes Trail. East and West Glacier Lakes were created by the last glacier in the Snowies and they get enough snowfall to persist. I saw the glacier when I was an undergrad, but it has since ceased to be. We had to negotiate snow in places, but we got through. Bog laurel (Kalmia microphylla) was our highlight new flower and seeing four Arnica species along the trail was quite nice. The views were spectacular. From the highpoint on the trail, we could see to where we had hiked on Libby Flats two days earlier. Thursday we started at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium at the University of Wyoming. Ernie Nelson was a fantastic host and provided us with a wealth of information on the herbarium. He had several specimens of note out for display, including the first specimen collected for the herbarium and the oldest collected specimen that was obtained via trade. After the herbarium, we took in the UW Geology Museum, enjoying displays of fossil plants and animals. After lunch at the Student Union, we headed east for a change, to make quick visits to the Happy Jack Recreation Area and then to the Vedauwoo Recreation area. At Happy Jack, we were pleased to find western monkshood (Aconitum columbianum) and small white Penstemon (Penstemon laricifolius) in bloom. Vedauwoo provided the always spectacular rocks, plus several species of pine and the lovely shrub cliffbush (Jamesia americana). This day ended with a traditional BotSoc meal at a Mexican restaurant.
Above left: Fivepetal cliffbush, Jamesia americana, Vedauwoo Recreation Area on Pole Mountain; Above right: Ernie Nelson, curator of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium at the University of Wyoming; Below: The group in front of the Snowy Range.
Continued on next page
10 BotSoc News, November 2016
Wyoming (cont’d)
Friday was our last day and we went out with a bang - The Lakes Trail. The combination of flowers (glacier lily, Colorado columbine, globe flower, and marsh marigold among others), the views of the Medicine Bow escarpment, and the lakes along the escarpment were great. Parry’s primrose (Primula parryi) was the only new flower, but most of our new floral friends were there, with columbines and glacier lilies putting on an amazing display. We encountered an old subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) that was a good 2 feet in diameter and maybe a 20 feet tall – we expect this tree to be several hundred years old given the climate at about 10,900 feet. I polled the group for favorite flowers and spots. The general consensus was that Libby Flats and the Lakes Trail were the “best” spots. The
Glacier Lakes Trail got some votes and the tarn on the Lakes Trail got votes for favorite “thing”.
Favorite flowers included bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), pygmy bitterroot (Lewisia pygmaea), paintbrushes (Castilleja spp. – we saw six species, with rosy getting specific votes), glacier lilies, sky pilots (Polemonium viscosum), Palmer’s penstemon and monument plant. An interesting favorite was any plant emerging through the melting snowpack – creating a hole through the snow. The gnarly weathered
trunks, snags, and downed logs that added character also got a vote.
Above: Pygmy bitterroot or alpine lewisia (Lewisia pygmaea) at Libby Flats, Medicine Bow National Forest
Left: Sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum), Libby Flats
Another vote was for the July 4th patriotic red-white-blue display of bluebells, mountain candytuft, and whiproot clover (Mertensia viridis, Noccaea montana, Trifolium dasyphyllum) on Libby Flats.
Text By Rich Reaves and Photos by Hal Massie
BotSoc News, November 2016 11
Upcoming Field Trips
Oct 29 Pines/Hemlock Family Plant ID Workshop Location: Tallulah Gorge (Rabun County); Leslie Edwards 10:00 AM directions to be provided by trip leader upon This workshop will cover how to recognize common registration. edwa1616 Georgia pines and hemlock. Field ID, rather than @bellsouth.net keys, will be the means of identification for this Bring: Water, snacks, camera, lunch, bug spray introductory series, and the workshop will emphasize and notebook. common names plus the scientific names.
Registration is limited to 7 Georgia BotSoc members (and 7 GNPS members). Email the trip
Nov 11 Fall Color on Pine Mountain Directions: Take I-85 south to I-185 and continue Hal Massie 10:00 AM south. At Exit 42, turn south on US 27. Stay on US This trip will be a driving and walking tour of FDR 27 South through the town of Pine Mountain and massiefarm Note: This is State Park, with an emphasis on fall foliage color. past Callaway Gardens. At the top of Pine @aol.com a Friday Pine Mountain is home to the largest population of Mountain, turn left unto GA 190. Go about three Georgia oak (Quercus georgiana) as well as large miles and turn right into the lower parking lot of the populations of Alabama cherry, Prunus alabamensis. Park HQ. 478-957-6095 We will also see large old-growth montane longleaf Facilities: Only at the park HQ. pines (Pinus palustris) and shortleaf pines (P. echinata. Hopefully, we will be able to stop for a brief Difficulty: Walking portions of this trip will be short visit to an historical stand of longleaf planted by FDR. and easy but trails are rocky. Bring: Lunch, snacks, & water. We will try to eat at Dowdell’s Knob, the highest point on Pine Mountain. Picnic tables are available at the Knob.
Dec 3 Holiday Party—Panola Mountain State Park Heather Brasell
10:00 AM Further information will be emailed to members— We hope you will join us for the BotSoc Winter party please save the date and plan to join us! heather.brasell on December 3rd at Panola Mountain State Park. @gmail.com
Socializing will start around 10 am and we will plan a short hike after lunch. Bring potluck items and native plant seeds to share.
Don’t forget to renew your membership! BotSoc memberships run from January through December. You can renew online at http://www.gabotsoc.org/?page_id=2 From that page you can use the online form and PayPal or you can download and print a PDF form to use for mailing. If you have questions about your membership status, please email Membership Chair Jo Anne Romfh [email protected]
12 BotSoc News, November 2016 Society Contacts
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
ATHENS, GA
PERMIT NO. 1
115 Farm Dale Roswell, GA 30075 www.gabotsoc.org
OFFICERS and BOARD MEMBERS President - Heather Brasell [email protected] Vice-President - Kent Mitchell [email protected] Treasurer - Steve and Rona Cook [email protected] Secretary - Ellen Corrie [email protected] Past President - Maureen Donohue [email protected] Tipularia Editors - Richard Ware [email protected] Teresa Ware [email protected] Webmaster - Merrill Morris [email protected] Newsletter Editor - Ellen Honeycutt [email protected] Field Trip Chair - Mike Christison [email protected] Membership - Jo Anne Romfh [email protected] BotSoc Boutique - Jenneke Somerville [email protected] Marie Mellinger Grant Fund - Linda Chafin [email protected] Ed McDowell [email protected] Hal Massie [email protected] Jerry Hightower [email protected] Rich Reaves [email protected]